Michael Klein reports that Kaizan has bowed out at the Academy House after just 5 months. Originally conceptualized as Zen Setsu back in April with kaiseki, a tasting menu of up to 9 courses, Kaizan was a scaled down version that never got much traction.

Also shutting its doors is Clementine’s Bistro which got better reviews than Kaizan but suffered no better a fate, closing after a year.

Philadelphia Weekly takes a look at Kaizan at the Academy House and has a very hit-or-miss time of it.

Kaizanâ€™s big-ticket item is the $22 Kobe ishiyaki. The dish comes with squash, mushrooms, six slices of American Kobe beef so well marbled they almost look white and a hot stone grill for DIY searing. After a few seconds on each side, itâ€™s one beefy little orgasm after another. Strawberry ice cream mochi and green tea ice cream encased in funnel-cakey tempura make pleasing post-coital treats.

Food & Drinq does a walk though of Kaizan Modern Japanese, the new Japanese restaurant from the people who gave us Fuji Mountain. Kaizan is opening this Thursday and accepting reservations via OpenTable.

Concept is based on the formal Japanese dining style called kaiseki, but the look — based on a late-construction walk-through led by general manager Joseph DePalma — is sexy.

Through a beaded curtain are tables in that black wood that everyone’s doing today. The dining room is smaller than you may remember. Owner Jonathan Chun, who has Fuji Mountain on Chestnut Street, shrank it to install a small outdoor patio that overlooks the building’s entrance on Locust. Toward the back is a drinking bar; behind that is a spacious sushi bar. Servers will wear black, specially fitted chef’s jackets.

The Field House at the former Independence Brew Pub is looking at an early December opening. 40 high-def TVs sound good, 10 draught selections and 25 bottle selections sound paltry. [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]